Method and apparatus for winding artificial silk



W. H. FURNESS.

METHOD-AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING ARTIFICIAL SILK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I1, 1919.

1,338,648. v Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

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PATENT OFFICE; wmim n. rum'nss, or rumour. max, nrw mm l/ amnion AND nrrnnhrtis FOB winn ng AnrIrIcIAL SILK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. FURNEss,

-a citizen 6f the United States, residing in National Park, New Jersey, have invented Methods and Apparatus for Winding Arti- .ficial Silk, of which the following is a speci- 'fication.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel method of handling or operating on a series of filaments after these ,have been spun and treated in a suitable bath, forthe purpose of'twisting and thereafter winding them upon a bobbin; the invention also contemplating a novel device for carrying out the above method whereby the danger of breakage of the filaments or of the twisted thread and damage to the quality of the finished thread from overstretching is rendered practically negligible and said thread is so deposited on a bobbin as to be readily and rapidly unwound when desired without likelihood of the breakage and loss.

In the drawings, the figure shows the apparatus for twisting the filaments together. According to my invention I mount at the edge'of the tank 1 containing the bath in i which the filaments w are spun by any suitable means, a roller or pulley 2 over which all of the filaments of any one series are led. At a suitable point below this roller is mounted" a vertical spindle 3 continuously driven in one direction and at' a relatively high speed such as fifteen hundred revolutions per minute by a pulley or other element' 4 connected to a suitable source' of power. On the upper end of this spindle is fixed an inverted cap-or cup 5 in the form of an elongated cylinder open at its lower end and having its lower edge rounded or smooth.

A tube 6 is splined to the spindle 3 so as to necessarily turn therewith while-being yer-- tically slidable and it has at its lowerend'a collar 7 formed with an annular groove for engagement with the forked, end of an arm 8 whereby under operating conditions the tube 6is alternately moved up-and down on the spindle. Mounted on said tube so as to project within the cap 5 is a suitable bobbin 9.

Under conditions of operation a group of filaments m spun in the solutionwithin the tank 1, is led over the roll or pulley 2, down to the-bobbin 9, which with the cap 5 is turned at a suitable speed. The lowest por- Specification of Letters Patent. I P t t A gq, 1

Application filed June 17, 1919 Serial No. 304,906. v l f tionof this thread first begins to wind up on the bobbin since this latter is positively driven from the collar 7 by means of pins 10 urgtil itengages the lower edge of the cap spindle it causes the thread to rotate with it so that it shortly swings outwardl into the position indicated in the figure un er the action of centrifugal force. 1

When the thread is not fed downward it remains in contact with one point of the edge of the cap and does not wind upon the bobbin since it is carried around with the cap at the same velocity as is possessed by the latter, with the result that its indi-- vidual elements are twisted at a point. ad-

-'a constant speed, beingtwisted by reason of its continued revolution. -*'The twisted filament is laid or woundin layers upon. the bobbin as the latter is moved vertically up and down within the cap 5 by reason of its reciprocation under the action of the arm 8 and it is noted that this winding of the thread occurs. with a minimum of tension and a minimum of friction, since it is not drawn rapidly about the edge of the cap by the separate rotation of the bobbin but is rather laid upon said bobbin because of the lag of its looped portion due to the resistance of the air.

Since. this latter turns with the If for any reason the rate of feed of the series of filaments over the roll or pulley 2 should be reduced or stopped, the friction of the thread on the loweredge 'of the cap 5 would shortly become suflicient to reduce or prevent its rotative movement relatively to the cap and hence its winding upon the bobbin would be redu ed or such winding would'altogether cease. The thread, however, would not break or have any abnormal tension exerted upon it since it would merely continue to rotate with the cap and at the same speed, of course continuing to twist its composite filaments adjacent the pulley 2. As soon as it was again fed over this pulley the centrifugal force would cause enlargement of the rotating loop at until this cleared the. lower edge of the cap 5 or until its friction thereon was so far reduced as to cause it to be wound on the bobbin by reason of the difference between its s eed of rotation and that of said bobbin. s a result of this method of operation the spun thread wound on the bobbin is practically uniform throughout its length and its individual elements are twisted together in the manner required for the best grade of finished product.

When sufficient material has been wound upon the bobbin; the rotation of the spindle 3 is stopped and the cap 5 is removed, after which the filled bobbin may be taken oil and.

replaced by' an empty bobbin. The loose end of the thread is then connected to this bobbin and after the cap 5 has been replaced on the spindle, the latter is again put in operation with the result above described.

It is to be noted that-the twisted thread possesses sufficient structural strength to take the form of the loop as and when in this form is rotated so as to define a substantially conical surface, by reason of the action upon it of the lower edge of the cap 5, its winding upon said bobbin occurring practically without tension and by reason of its speed of rotation being less than that of the bobbin because of the resistance of the air.

I claim:

1. The method which consists in feeding a' series of gelatinous and tensely weak filaments in a downward direction; engaging saidfilaments by an annular body rotating substantially coaxially with the line of their feed to'-'cause their rotation and twisting; and laying the resulting thread in layers of successively increasing diameter. 2. The method which consists in feeding a series of filaments; rotating said filaments substantially coaxial with their line of feed to cause them to be twisted; and laying the resulting thread in layers of successively increasing diameter and substantially without the exertion of tension thereon.

3. The method which consists in feedin a series of newly formed, structurally we cellulosefilaments; rotating said filaments by power a plied to them from a rotating annular bo to cause them to describe a substantially conical surface; and laying the resulting twisted thread in a substantially tensionless condition in layers of succes-- sively increasing diameter upon a surface rotating at a speed iii-excess of that of th rotating filaments.

4. The combination of a rotary spindle; a bobbin mounted thereon and positively connected thereto so as to'be rotated at the same speed; means for delivering to the bobbin :1. latinous thread; and a structure carried so ely by and rigidly connected to the spindle and including a relatively smooth annular thread engaging portion extending around the bobbin; the thread passing directly from said portion to the bobbin.

5. The combination of a rotary spindle; means for driving a bobbin coaxially with and at the same speed as said spindle; means for delivering to the bobbin a gelatinous thread; and a cap carried solely by and rigidly fixed to the spindle and including a relatively smooth annular edge surrounding the bobbin for engagement with a thread, the latter passing directly from said edge to the bobbin.

6. The combination of means for sup lying a series of substantially parallel gelatinous filaments; a rotar mounted on and rotate assaid spindle; and a cap rigidly fixed to and supported solely by the spindle and presenting a relatively smooth edge to a thread twisted from said filaments, said thread bobbin.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM H. FURNESS.

passing directly from the cap to the spindle; a bobbin at the same speed- 

